The Point of view is an incredibly important part of the story. Its role is to allow the reader to “see” or “hear” what is going on. It provides a picture for the reader in his or her mind and can even make the reader feel as if they are part of the story.
There are varieties of point of view, depending on how the author wants their story to be read. For example, if the writer wants a character to narrate the story, they will use words such as “I”, “me”, and “myself”. This is an example of first person point of view. Other points of view include second person and third person.
It is also important for the writer to ask himself or herself, “How do I choose which point of view to use in my story?”
The job of an author is not only to tell the story, but for his or her readers to be able to understand what the author is trying to show in his writing. One way of doing that is to use the tool of point of view. Point of view is the position from which a story is narrated or observed. It is the position of where a reader is reading the story. Let’s break down the several different types of point of view:
First person point of view: When a character is narrating (telling) the story. The character will use words such as: I, me, my, mind, and myself. You get to hear from the character himself, so it is an advantage.
Example: “I was walking to the park when suddenly, I heard a dog barking.”
First person plural: When a character is narrating and telling the story of himself (or herself) and other people. Words used include our, ours, ourselves, and us.
Example: “Our mother wanted to see the project we have made for Science class.”
Second person point of view: When a narrator is talking to you from the story as if you are part of the story. The author will use words such as you, your, yours, and yourself. This type of point of view is rare and is used to make the reader part of the action in the story. It is seen in non-fiction, but not so much in fiction writing.
Example: “Did you know that powerlifting consists of bench pressing, squats, and deadlifts?”
Second person plural: When a narrator is talking to more than one reader as if they are part of the story. Words used for second person plural are: you, your, yours, and yourselves. Now, I think it’s best for a beginner to avoid this point of view until they have developed singular points of view and first person and third person plural forms. I wanted to point out that this kind of point of view exists.
Third person point of view: When an outsider (the reader) is looking into the action of the story. The reader is not a part of the story like with second person point of view. Words used in the third person point of view are he, she, his, her(s), himself, herself, it, and itself.
Example: “Kelly wanted to meet Brian, but she wasn’t sure if she felt ready to meet him.”
Third person plural: Same thing as third person point of view, but instead of he, she, his, etc., it is referring to more than one character. Words used in third person plural include they, them, themselves, and their(s).
Example: “They decided to go to the movie theatre tonight.”
Third person POV is the most used form of storytelling in fiction stories. It is easy to use and you can show the world that you have created, on a bigger scale to your audience than with another POV.
Writing Prompt
Write a story using any one of the points of view. Afterwards, underline the word or words used to show which point of view you have chosen.
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